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Long Run by the legendary Jean Palmer, with her sons Tim and Chris. I used to do business with Jean from 77' to '81, and it was at one time the premier shop in London for US imports. Comment: YankeeDisc 45 cat forum

Groove Records - this shop was legendary, I cant stress this enough!! It was THE shop in the 1980's for USA imports, they would be flown over daily. As soon as a dance record was released in the USA it would be in Groove a few days later, sometimes even the next day!! Comment: Luke AllinghaMike Allen has a web page which you can see more.

I remember London's "Groove Records" on Greek Street and "Bluebird Records" on Edgeware Road. Spent many hours (and pounds) in both shops in the mid 80's. Good times. Comment:Steve Troughton

(Sept 19, 2014) Tim Palmer said:Happy memories..best time ever and miss all the characters that made Groove Records the shop it was.

Gareth Marshallsea (far right), alongside Jean. not sure of the other fellow the hat - think he was a writer for blues & soul.

(Sept 6, 2014) Deryck said:Wow - love the footage.
I remember Groove Records very well.
In particular, I remember hearing a track in a club one night, zooming down to Groove the following day & having to sing it to them coz I didn't know what it was called, but knew I had to have it.(Had to wait for an opportune, least-embarrassing, moment in front of everyone, lol). Turned out to be Nitro DeLuxe "Let's Get Brutal/This Brutal House" (1986). I also bought Housemasterboyz House Nation there in 1986 and so began my love of House Music.

(Dec 14, 2012) Paul Cook said:This shop was the best in the country, especially for new 12" US releases. Greg Edwards bought from this shop, I know because I wqas friends with his assistant Asif Deen. Groove stocked the most obscure stuf in addition to top-selling vinyl. Remember Jean on the TV (perhaps Panorama or something), her memory for records was amazing.

(Nov 14, 2012) Deepak said:Loved this shop...fond memories from the 80's..they used to play the imports, I could only afford a few singles then, but would get a nice gem to take home and put the needle on the track....

(Feb 3, 2012) joey jones dartford said:I remember Groove very well, I was really into the pasadenas tribute and went in there for a copy when passing. I got hold of a really nice bootleg remix sampling elvis, little richard, gary crowley!

( Feb 6, 2016) Yes Greg Edwards and a host of other DJs bought from this special shop. Asif Deen (Greg's assistnt) practiclly lived there. Now look at it! Comment: Paul Cook.

Name Mark Cruttwell Comment Ahhh the good old days. Worked here back in the 80s and have some wonderful memories !! There was only one Jean Palmer !!! Met some Great people including her sons Tim and Chris , Gareth , young roger who worked there and my good friend Tony whom I'm still in touch with. Those days have long gone as have some of the above mentioned sadly but certainly never forgotten !!!! (Dec 21, 2016).

Name Paul Smith Comment: Wonderful shop and I've still got one of their yellow record bags somewhere! They always had the most exclusive vinyl and my first record from there was the Trouble Funk LP, Drop The Bomb, which I still have. Must have got it around 1982. Used to spend my last pennies in there and import 12"s were around £4.99 at the time so prices haven't gone up that much. Hitman Records in Brewer Street was also good but didn't have the rareities that Groove had. As the decade closed, they were selling the rarest Belgian New Beat, techno and house alongside hi energy, hip hop, jazz funk and soul. Fantastic memories and my kindest wishes to all involved at the mighty "The Groove Records". ( Dec 29, 2016)

Name Jayne Murphy (Nee Ross) Comment: Spent all my spare cash in this amazing shop in 1981/82. Bought Riot in Lagos by Riuichi Sakamoto before the awesome DJ Paul Trouble Anderson could buy it !.. I remember I quite liked one of the staff there.. Mark Wells who used to DJ on Kiss FM before it became legal.. wonder if he is still around ?

Name Paul N Comment:I remember stepping in there while on holiday in London, I think summer of '84 and seeing a lady knitting behind the counter, while some serious electro was thumping! Surreal, then, but this was of course Jean, I learned later!
​(April 25, 2017)

Name Susie Wright Comment: I talk about Groove Records to this day! My entire record collection was bought at Groove Records from Cal Tjader to Judy Roberts. If I heard and amazing tracks at a club/parties like Flora Pirum and Airto - Gilberto Gill I would be down Groove Records the next day... wonderful memories wonderful times. (May 16, 2017)

Comment
I remember early 80s meeting Martin Collins and picking up white labels wheres Martin these days he did my 21st 36 years ago !!!!
Name
steve walker
(2019)

Comment
The man in the hat outside of Groove records is Richard Jones, brother of gloria jones.
Name
simon taylor
(2020)

Comment
I used to be in groove every weekend could fit about 15 people in there but you was in there. would be imposable to social distance in there lol i miss groove so much its an adult shop now last time i looked. peace
Name
nea masters
(2020)

Comment
Tim palmer released some really good stuff, probably amongst the best of British at the time. Groove was a legend! Real artists, real music, for real DJs like Greg Edwards. His assistant, Asif Deen, had an encyclopaedic knowledge (like Winston of ZR records). Those days were awesome! These people showed the rest how it was done!
Name
Paul Cook
(2021)


Comment
What great times. I remember getting paid for my paper rounds and milk round as a kid and saying to my mum I am going out with my mates but really jumping on a train and going to groove records hitman records bluebird and red records. I was only about 11 or 12 when I started going there. I can always remember granny scratch as we called her doing her knitting behind the counter. It was great getting on the train going back home to Swanscombe and taking the record out the yellow bag and rubbing on the top of your leg to break the shrink rap seal and get the vinyl out. What great times I still have a lot of them still today.
Thank you groove records.
Name
Stephen Gould
(2022)

Comment
I worked at a school in Streatham with Tim Palmer's wife Kelly and went up to Groove regularly for white labels and promos which Tim gave me for our sixth form discos. My squad of DJs had the latest American imports courtesy of Tim and Groove and our school discos were definitely the best in town.
Name
Peter Bull
(2022)

Comment
Wow, Groove Records, Greek Street! I used to go there as a young boy, I remember buying Leprechaun Loc it up and The Inversions Mr Mack from there, to name but 2 of many records. I miss those days so painfully much. God bless you all.

Name
GREGORY BURTON

(2023)

Comment
Wish I could jump in a time machine and travel back to the early 80s and visit Groove Records again. Had some great times there listening to new music and discovering new acts. I think I heard Herbie Hancock's 'Rock It' and Tyrone Brunson's 'The Smurf' there and was blown away. Jean and I were friends and she even let me serve behind the counter on several occasions. Sadly those days are only memories now, but thank god I was around during those Golden Years to enjoy all that fabulous, funky music.
Name
Paul Hyder
(2023)

GROOVE RECORDS in Greek street, Soho the legendary epicentre of hip hop culture when it first came to the UK used to go there every saturday in '81, '82 and get my Tommy Boy imports then trot off down to Spats nightclub on Oxford st. for the lunchtime jams with a very young, spotty, pimpled-faced Tim Westwood there was hitman records on old lexington, bluebird on the edgeware road and various others but Groove was the first and the best. LOTUS Hifi

View on Youtube.

Citybeat was a Dance label founded in 1986 by Tim Palmer, known for operating the Groove Records shop in London with his brother Chris Palmer. Tim later co-founded the famous XL Recordings in 1989 as a spin-off of the Citybeat label. To play this album click image.


Comments

Garry Gardner
06 Jun 2023 at 10:51
Played in the band “Campari” with Chris Palmer in the late 70s. Great bass player, and pretty handy on the flute.
Steve white
12 Aug 2023 at 01:09
Im 55 coming up..gotta say memories of groove well i still have many imports 12inch mastercuts from that great era which i was lucky to be part of..R.I.P GROOVE RECORDS AND TO this day THE best Night Club in Soho WAG..best days
Edward Boyd
29 Sep 2024 at 12:14
Big part of my Saturday morning... through arches off Tottenham Court road and onto Greek street to get a US 12 inch hip hop import that I would have heard on Mike Allen radio show the night before...I was aged between 8-11, must have been one of the youngest costumers
Terry reeves
02 Oct 2024 at 06:47
My name is Terry Reeves and in the 1980s I had three vans selling jazz-funk to all the record shops, including Groove. My shop was Checquers Records Lewisham and I imported records from Winn records New York and MJS records Miami.
My sidekick ‘King’ Enri (RIP) was also a top DJ.
We worked alongside Tony Monson who's still around.
Maurice T
13 Oct 2024 at 03:20
Wow this brings back memories. I used to go to Groove Records on occasion with my brother Lyndon T who was a young budding soul DJ who eventually ended up presenting on Horizon Radio. My brother worked behind the counter for Jean and her boys for a brief period. So some fond memories of trekking down to Greek Street to pick up the latest US imports with him.

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Location

52 Greek Street W1D 3AW Soho / London
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